North Vision Song Contest 8
, Bosnia and Herzegovina |conductor = |director = |host = |opening = |map year = 8 | col1 = #22b14c | tag1 = Participating countries | col2 = #782167 | tag2 = Participating countries that have not selected an entrant | col3 = #ffc20e | tag3 = Past participants that are not participating. |entries = 46 |debut = |return = |withdraw = |disqualified = |vote = Each country awarded 12, 10, 8-1 points to their 10 favorite songs |null = |winner = TBA }} North Vision Song Contest 8, often referred to as NVSC 8 will be the 8th edition of the North Vision Song Contest. It will be held in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Location :For further information see Sarajevo is the capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with an estimated population of 291,422. Sarajevo metropolitan area, including Sarajevo, East Sarajevo and surrounding municipalities, is home to 608,354 inhabitants. Moreover, it is also the capital of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity, the capital of the Republic of Srpska entity, and the center of the Sarajevo Canton. Nestled within the greater Sarajevo valley of Bosnia, it is surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans. Sarajevo is the leading political, social and cultural center of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and its region-wide influence in politics, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, and the arts contribute to its status as Bosnia and Herzegovina's biggest and most important economic center. Sarajevo has been undergoing post-war reconstruction, and is the fastest growing city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The travel guide series, Lonely Planet, has named Sarajevo as the 43rd best city in the world, and in December 2009 listed Sarajevo as one of the top ten cities to visit in 2010. In 2011, Sarajevo was nominated to be the European Capital of Culture in 2014 and will be hosting the European Youth Olympic Festival in 2017. Bidding phase The bidding phase kicked off on 16 April with one venue joining the race for hosting the contest; the located in the capital city of the country, . The arena has place for up to 20,000 spectators at once. Named in honor of Juan Antonio Samaranch in 2010 after his death, it was used for various sporting events at the 1984 Winter Olympics. On 19 April 2014, , also located in , joined the phase as the second venue. The stadium offers space for up to 38,000 viewers. In 1984, the stadium hosted the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics. Currently, it is home to football club FK Sarajevo and the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team. On 20 April 2014, the NBU announced that the Olympic Hall Juan Antonio Saramanch would be the host venue for the contest. The arena will be enlarged and half of the venue's parking lot will host three tents: one for the press conference, a bar and fast food and a big Northvision Fan Store including flags and souvenirs which can be brought inside the hall. The green rooms are going to be located right behind the stage area and double-decked grandstands will be built inside the huge hall. Some 18.000 people are probably expected to be guests during the live shows. Participating countries Countries in the first semi-final Countries voting in the first semi-final Countries in the second semi-final Countries voting in the second semi-final}} Fifty-one countries will participate in the eighth edition with five countries being eliminated in the pre-qualifying round making a total of forty-six countries, semi-finalists and big 5. Algeria and Tunisia making their debut appearance while Luxembourg returned after the one edition-break. Cyprus, FYR Macedonia and Slovenia announced their withdrawal from the edition. Nine countries out of the fifty-one confirmed had to take part in the newly introduced pre-qualifying round as they were in the bottom five of their semi-final in the previous edition. Switzerland would aslo be in the pre-qualifying round after one of the bottom five countries of the semi-finals, Cyprus, withdrew from the edition. However, it was decided that it would be unfair that Switzerland would take part in the round as it did not finish in the bottom five but in the bottom six, Returning artists Nina Žižić and Unheilig, who represented Montenegro and Germany respectively in the second edition, returned to the contest to represent the same countries. Aynur Aydin was selected to represent Turkey for second time in a row. Julie Bergan, who represented Norway in the sixth edition along with Cir.Cuz, returned to the contest as a solo artist after she was selected through the fifth edition of the Norwegian selection. Ira Losco represented Malta for third time after representing the country in the fourth and seventh editions. Pre-qualification round : Main article: Pre-Qualification Round for North Vision Song Contest 8 Those who finished in the lowest 5 positions of each Semi Final of the seventh edition will have to participate in the pre-qualification round. Four countries will qualify from the pre-qualification round and can join the Semi Finals of this edition. It was decided that Switzerland would not have to participate in the PQR because it did not originally finish in the bottom 10 in NVSC 07. It finished 11th-to-last, and only originally had to participate in the PQR because Cyprus, who came second to last in the same semi withdrew from the eighth edition. Semi-final 1 Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Kingdom will also vote in this semi-final Semi-final 2 France, the Netherlands and Ukraine will also vote in this semi-final. Finalists Controversies * : On 15 April, it was announced that Claudia Schanza would represent the small country with "Ha Ha". She was later rejected by the broadcaster. * : On 17 April, Montenegro revealed their entry for the eighth edition of the North Vision Song Contest. However, the NBU Council declined the entry, as the singers weren't Montenegrin themselves. *There were two instances where singers appeared in the national selections of more than one country: **Joni was in the national selection for both Hungary and Sweden. **Lauren Aquilina was in the national selection for both Malta and the United Kingdom. Other countries * : On March 2 Cyprus withdrew due to cuts in their budget in the last month. The broadcaster stated that they would concentrate on other projects. A return has not been ruled out. * : The country made a second attempt on participating in the contest. On 22 April 2014, it was announced that the country was accepted in the NBU and would be able to participate from the ninth edition and onwards. * : In late April 2014, the country made a second attempt on participating. However, the application is still to be accepted or declined. * : The head of delegation has not issued a response in regard to a participation. * : RTVSLO announced the country's withdrawal on March 2, 2014 due to financial issues. However, it was also reported that the country will return in the 9th edition. Category:Editions